Would you like to obtain wisdom? After you’re gone, or even now, wouldn’t it be nice if people spoke of you as a “wise” person?
Obviously, wisdom is a prized possession and we all seek to have it in greater measure as the years fly by. But how do we acquire it?
This article will answer that question from the lips of God Almighty, the ultimate source of wisdom.
If you are looking for advice on how to get wisdom, Psalm 2 is a good place to start. This ancient Jewish hymn describes the peoples of the world in foolish rebellion against God and his Messiah, the Christ. The obstinate masses are led by kings and rulers who are determined to oppose the King of the universe and his ways. These leaders “take counsel together against the Lord and his anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us’” (Psalm 2:2-3).
God responds to this defiance with the laughter of derision: “Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, ‘As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill’” (Psalm 2:5-6).
People can squander all their days in opposition to God, even though he has granted us the gift of life. Every breath we take is only because he, in a faithful display of love and mercy, has allowed us the privilege of existence.
And so the psalmist concludes with a series of five simple commands that if obeyed will result in the lifting of God’s wrath and the outpouring of divine blessing. “Be wise . . . Be warned . . . Serve the Lord with fear . . . Rejoice with trembling . . . Kiss the Son” (Psalm 2:10-12).
We fulfill the first command by complying with those that follow. Wisdom comes to those who acknowledge the error of their ways and take the warning of God’s Word to heart. The wise man is the one who realizes that serving God is the ultimate priority of life, and the joy of obedience is marvelously mingled with fear and trembling. Loving God does not mean we ever forget how close we came to spending eternity in the lake of fire.
We are wise only when we bow the knee to King Jesus, offering him the kiss of devotion and a life of humble dependence on his grace. This is the way of God’s wisdom. All other ways can only lead one down the path of foolishness, folly and ultimate destruction.
As Charles Spurgeon wrote, “To a graceless neck the yoke of Christ is intolerable, but to the saved sinner it is easy and light. We may judge ourselves by this: do we love that yoke, or do we wish to cast it from us?”
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